Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Tales From the Hydian Way

I’m calling this episode impossible because I never expected it to come out. Here I talk with Adam of Force Majeure and Leslie of Heroes/Tales about kickstarters and what gets us to look at other table top RPGs. Things discussed in this episode: Rowan, Rook and Deckard Honey Heist Die RPG Goat Crashers Adventure Skeletons … Continue reading "301- The Impossible Tale"

We look back at what has happened in the last 300 episodes and some of the lessons we’ve learned, what is happening on The Hydian Way, and where our hearts will take us. Things discussed in this episode Xphile Brian Casey Spider Robinson Challahan’s Crosstime Saloon Sink the Bismark Thisspasian You can find us on … Continue reading "300 – The Tales Tale"

With a special guest we talk about using conflict in the Force and Destiny system and how it can both help and hurt a campaign idea if it’s not discussed ahead of time. Things talked about in this episode: Force Majeure Glass Dagger Batman Gambit Xanatos Gambit Soloshot Expanse You can find us on TwitterShow … Continue reading "291 – The Conflict Tale"

We started to talk about playing different species for your games and how to make it matter for your players. From how NPCs interact to how to set expectations at the table Things talked about in this episode: Dice for Brains Galaxy Guide 9 – Fragments from the Rim McKays Chattanooga Defel Pao Drabata Peekpa … Continue reading "The Thisspiasian Tale"

Episode 200, you’d think we’d talk about something profound. We talk about one of the most profound things you can actually do for your campaign. How to end it. Three hosts talk about the different kinds of endings we’ve seen and give some advice for GMs on how to make it satisfying. Things discussed in … Continue reading "The Closing Tale"

The topic of difficult players came up in discussion in the Tales twitter DMs. This brought up the different sorts of ways players and GMs can not see eye to eye on ideas and drew us to this episode topic. Things talked about in this episode: Zuckuss Dice for Brains Rebels Jodo Kast You can … Continue reading "The Challenging Player Tale"

We were asked about a particular build for a character, it raised a bit of a flag for us and all hosts decided we should talk about specializations that require a bit more work by those around the table. Things talked about in this episode: Domino Deadpool 2 Minority Report You can find us on … Continue reading "The Gambler Tale"

We have  a huge group to talk about Solo: A Star Wars Story and share our perspectives. To a person we liked the movie, but we also are the sort who can look at it and see what could be done better. Things talked about in this episode: Solo: A Star Wars Story Hail Ceaser! … Continue reading "The Han Tale"

Communicating difficulty in an encounter is trickier than just giving out a number of dice. The players need to know before hand how to set their expectations. We discuss how and a few things that would normally be missed. Things talked about in this episode: Toph Galaxy Quest Crushers You can find us on Twitter … Continue reading "The Difficulty Tale"

We talk about how to inhabit a character and create a perspective to separate two characters in a scene. We also touch on ways of acting to make a character unique in your play group as a player Things talked about in this episode: Zork Gru Heroes Dice for Brains Accents A Manual For Actors … Continue reading "Into The Character Tale"

Ben and Rissa discuss running a module and some of the pitfalls that can emerge from trying to follow too close to the text as written. Things talked about in this episode: Beyond the Rim Friends like These Nam Beroya Reom Jewel of Yavin You can find us on Twitter Show updates are @TheHydianWay Ben … Continue reading "The Module Tale"

We created a steampunk setting in Genesys and look to different ideas that could come from the location we’ve created in Firemouth Outpost. Things talked about in this episode: Heroes of the Hydian Way – Genesys Warhammer 40K Cypress Hills Massacre East India Trading Company Hudsons Bay Company South Sea Trading Company – Extra History … Continue reading "The Steam Setting Tale"

Ben Rissa and David talk about vehicles in Genesys and how they’re different from Star Wars while trying to remember all the rules for both systems. Things talked about in this episode: Sea of Thieves Battlefront II Hunt for Red October Crimson Skies US Navy Recon Blimps Goblin Shane Edge of the Empire rules clarification … Continue reading "The Genesys Vehicle Tale"

We discuss the ways that starting force powers are deceptively powerful, as well as how to make sure that players at your table are not getting frustrated by starting experiences with a force user. You can find us on TwitterShow updates are @TheHydianWayBen is @DeuteriumIceRissa is @KookyKitt Help us out financially for the show on … Continue reading "290 – The Low XP Force Tale"

No, we haven’t gone full Star Trek. We’re bringing on a new host and we’re interviewing her in this episode to give our listeners an idea of her style and some of the things she’s bringing to the table Things discussed in this episode: Agatha Christie Pathfinder Lost Girl Surviving Mars Alien Star Trek First … Continue reading "The Rissa Tale"

Ben and Marcus talk about some of the mechanics involved with starting characters and why somethings are more important than others at low XP amounts. Things talked about in this episode: Old Man Logan Logan Dark Tower Blue Max Elom Elomin Wookiepedia Assassins Creed Solid Snake Gossam Neimoidian Nute Gunray Dice for Brains Ross Rockafelow … Continue reading "The Starting Player Tale"

Ben has Marcus on to talk about his Force and Destiny podcast he creates with his kids and the lessons that can be learned from there. So much of the advice can be well used for bringing in any new player. Things talked about in this episode: Marcus Hirschfield Force Vs Darkside Dan Shessel Dice … Continue reading "The Tale Vs Darkside"

Ben and David talk about preparation tools for GMs and players as well as communication and character creation. Things talked about in this episode: Adversary Cards OneNote Obsidian Portal Band Gamers Plane World Anvil DropBox Oggdude Roll20 Fantasy Grounds Hangouts Skype Zoom Evernote Sando Aqua Monster Colo Claw Fish Drop Bear Bear Sloth Arboreal Octopus … Continue reading "The Tools Tale"

Ben has guest Leslie on to talk about ways to use maps and things to consider when using maps in person and online for your players. Things talked about in this episode: Leslie Heroes Obsidian Portal Maps Easel Pads – grid Command and Colours Mansions of Madness 2nd Ed Betrayal at House on the Hill … Continue reading "Map Tales"

Kristine and Ben talk about what they do when the players surprise them and leave them wondering what to do next. Things we talked about on the show: Weik Deadspace Stay on Target Mouseguard Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Mass Effect 2 You can find us on Twitter Show updates are @TheHydianWay Ben is @DeuteriumIce … Continue reading "The Surprised GM Tale"

We talk about some of the ideas and issues of starting a player character and how much background is too much, as well as how much is not near enough. Things talked about in this episode: Angel – Xmen Black Lightning Christian Kane Eliot Spencer Fate Leverage RPG The 5 Man Band Firefly Star Trek … Continue reading "The Backgrounder Tale"

Ben and David talk about villains and how to present them to your players as fallible beings who can be defeated. Things talked about in this episode Horus Heresy Bruce Banner The Joker Injustice Dred Vs Batman Judge Dredd – Stalone Judge Dredd – Urban Star Trek Space Seed The Wrath of Khan Sybok Xanatos … Continue reading "The Villainous Tale"

We’ve all had players missing a game or having to leave the game, Kristine and Ben talk about how to make the blow softer and strategies to make it more fun for you and your group. Things talked about in this episode: Launchpad McQuack Eldritch Horror Mansions of Madness Fiasco Dusk City Outlaws Pathfinder Lords … Continue reading "The Absent Player Tale"

Ben and Kristine discuss with David what we’ve taken away from the Genesys core book and some of the interesting tidbits we are looking forward to for the system. Things talked about in this episode Genesys Magic – 217 Decent Legacy of Dragonholt Battlelore Realms of Terrinoth Android Twilight Imperium Deadlands Savage Rifts Savage World … Continue reading "The Genesys Tale"

This episode has us talking about the tiny adventure before the big adventure so we all can get comfortable with our characters. From pilots to prologues we talk about how to set your own expectations for your games. Things talked about in this episode: Murder on the Mantellian Express Light saber tonfa Encounter at Farpoint … Continue reading "289 – The Prologue Tale"

Ben has Chris Ing from Silhouette Zero and Heroes on to talk about the force and some of the deeper things you can look at when using the force in your games. From what is light and dark, to the different force traditions we have ideas on how to make the force deeper in your … Continue reading "The Deep Force Tale"

We talk about space combat and a few issues that can come up as well as a few unintended consequences of putting mechanics before narrative. Things talked about in this episode: Serrano Legacy Series – Once a Hero Mandalorian Fang Fighter Freespace 2 Edge of the Empire Point Defence Side Bar – Page 267 X-com … Continue reading "The Everything is Terrain Tale"

We talk about how to run an adventure with few player resources and how to make it so player ingenuity is welcome when you take their toys away. From survival to horror to investigations we talk about ways of a few things to expect and ways to make it awesome. Things we talk about on … Continue reading "The Low Resource Tale"

We talk about failure in your game and how to make it feel like that isn’t the end of the action or the story. We show how there is always effects after an action even if they aren’t the desired ones. Things we talked about in this episode: Gladiator Stranger Things Smaug – Hobbit Live … Continue reading "The Fail Tale"

This week we talk about NPCs why some get elevated, how to deal with the mechanics for those that do get elevated, and why some people make full PCs for an NPC. Things talked about in this episode: Heroes of the Hydian Way Silhouette Zero From A Certain Point of View Kitt Harrington Freemaker Adventures … Continue reading "The Allied NPC Tale"

We talk about themes in The Last Jedi and several of the things we ponder about the story, from using bombers to why using force face time would be useful in an RPG setting. Things talked about in this episode: The Last Jedi Dice for Brains Silhouette Zero Fandable Soloshot Redtails The Tuskegee Airmen Leia, … Continue reading "The Last Jedi Tale"

We talk about how to end a session and a scene. With tips and examples of dramatic situations to leave your players in, the hosts have some deep thoughts about coming to that brick wall. Things talked about in this episode: Fiasco Fiasco Dice Fiasco Playsets Table Top: Fiasco Setup Part 1 Part 2 Hail … Continue reading "The Way to End Tale"

Kristine and Ben talk about the ways that you can use the in between session times to make your games better and keep engagement going when you have ideas that just need to get out. Things we talked about in this episode: X-Files Dice for Brains pregame Northern Nerdcast Bothan Banter The West Marches Discord … Continue reading "The Behind the Scenes Tale"

Splitting the party can be treacherous for a GM, from boring other players to finding there’s just too much going on to keep track of. We have ideas on making it make more sense and a few tricks on keeping everyone engaged. Things we talked about on the show: SilZeroChris Rise of the Rune Lords … Continue reading "The Split Party Tale"

We talk of how to make a failed crafting check mean something, what comes from not making something, and how to make it become a part of the story. Things discussed in this episode: Stranger Things The Walking Dead The Threatening Tale Burn Notice You can find us,  at TheHydianWay.com You can find us on … Continue reading "The Failed Crafting Check Tale"

We bring Brandon on board as a guest to help talk about encounters and adventures looking to resolve without violence, from how to frame an encounter to ideas to discuss the topic at the start of the campaign. Things discussed in the show: Enterprise Club Star Trek Discovery Star Trek Adventures Murder on the Mantellian … Continue reading "288 – The Reason for Violence Tale"

We talk about making a setting up for yourself. From new adversaries and minions to new pieces of equipment. This can broaden your horizons so much we wanted to give our initial takes on how to grow beyond the time between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back.Things talked about on the show: Marcus … Continue reading "The Home Brew Tale"

This is Kristine and Ben talking about the ‘hunt the Bismark’ campaign Ben did and ways to bring out the things that Ben had in his head for it at the table. We also talk of how to take ideas and see how big the idea really is. Things we talk about on the show: … Continue reading "Finding the Destroyer Tale"

We get talking about the morality mechanic and a few things we’ve been having a hard time with lately when looking at what the morality system can become and how to make it grow into bigger character beats than simple good or bad. Things talked about in the show: Usagi Yojimbo Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles … Continue reading "The Moral Beginner Tale"

We talk about Bounty Boards and how they can tell a story, even just in how they are accessed, and how they can propel your story forward to make amazingly complex worlds. Things talked about on the show: The Lego Freemaker Adventures John Wick 2 Mass Effect 2 Zuckus Dengar From a Certain Point of … Continue reading "The Bounty Board Tale"

We start talking about social encounters and then expand to talk about how to bring threats and advantage to the table in more narrative ways than just boosts and setbacks going into the next roll.Things discussed in this episode: Legends of the Five Rings RPG Genesys – social scenes Powered By the Apocalypse Dungeons and … Continue reading "The Threatening Tale"

We slip from idea to idea as we talk about learning what your players want to do and giving them the tools to do it. Things talked about in this episode: Masks Dungeons and Dragons Secret of Monkey Island Witcher 3 Firefly Genesys Monster of the Week Spelljammer Starfinder The A-Team You can find us,  … Continue reading "The First Tale"

We look into some of the ways to save a flagging group from having co GMs to genre swapping on a regular basis. Talked about in this episode: Masks Pathfinder Yggdrasil Dresden Files Silhouette Zero Chris Ing Community Fate 5th Edition DnD Monster of the Week Stargate Call of Cthulhu Dungeons and Dragons Animated Willy … Continue reading "The Round Table Tale"

We talk about Dead in the Water and how you can break down the modules you see and read to make them more your own and get inspiration for the campaigns you want to run. Things talked about in the episode: Onslaught at Arda I Friends Like These Mask of the Pirate Queen Jewel of … Continue reading "The Personal Module Tale"

We talk about how to make adversaries and villains build in power, how to make them build in threat relevant to your player characters, and how to make these characters be more of an actual character to your players than just cardboard cutouts. Things talked about in this episode: Team Rocket Batman Vs Superman – … Continue reading "The Party’s Problem Tale"

We have Kristine Chester on to talk about obligation and ways to braid it into your plots so they don’t become plot derailing intrusions into your story and complement the characters that are there. Things talked about on the show: Kristine Chester Firefly Macguffin René Emile Belloq Lego Freemaker Adventures Dark Matter Valette You can … Continue reading "The Obligation Tale"

We decided to use the Expanded Setting Sheet and create our own setting. What came out was an empowering setting filled with fanciful technology of medical heights. With mutations in the world and how the world has been shaped by them. Things discussed in this episode: Expanded Setting Sheet Watchmen Steel Atomic Robo Umbrella Academy … Continue reading "287 – The Mutant Tail"

We talk about building mysteries and setting hooks for players to get interested in the adventure you have planned. From disappearing children to a penpal that wants to meet we have ideas on how to make a plot hook into that consuming little thing that drives players wild. Things talked about in the show: Mad … Continue reading "The Mysterious Tale"

We talk about several ways to make creatures matter to a scene and how to make sure they don’t get lost in normal role-playing. From keeping tracking of characters to helping them set scenes. Things talked about on the show: Exogorth Godzilla Ray Harryhausen Predator Alien Arboreal Octopus Gizka Avatar the Last Air Bender Cabbage … Continue reading "The Creature Tale"

We talk about getting the players to be hooked for an adventure lead and how to make them more of a player party instead of just players. From discussing other RPGs to how to manage disagreements we have a jam packed episode for you today. Things talked about on the show: Powered by the Apocalypse … Continue reading "The Party Starting Tale"